


more than clothes

by azurrys



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Blood, Coughing, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, a lot of blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:26:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23146930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azurrys/pseuds/azurrys
Summary: All Shiva could do now was watch Grimnir and comfort him as best as he could.
Relationships: Grimnir/Shiva (Granblue Fantasy)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 61





	more than clothes

**Author's Note:**

> I really like bullying Grimnir. ~~I'm sure if I bully him enough he'll come home right~~

Grimnir was too still in his arms. 

On a rational level, Shiva knew there wasn't anything to fear. Grimnir was powerful, like him, but neither of them were infallible. This wasn't the first battle he'd lost, nor was it likely to be his last. Fif had treated him, and Shiva had been assured that he'd be alright; it would just take time.

But he didn't like it. Before, even when Grimnir lost and he returned broken and battered, it was always still with bright eyes and loud complaints — "Those dastardly fiends may live to see another day, but I, Grimnir, will have my revenge! I am the Mad Cyclone, and they will rue the day they crossed my lance!" Shiva would just listen then, let Grimnir vent out his frustration with theatrics and threats until he was tired enough to nod off in Shiva's arms.

This time was different — a battle that had ended in Grimnir struggling alone, on the ground but still forcing up shields to protect his injured teammates. Shiva wouldn't forget the way Grimnir had trembled in his arms; the blood he'd coughed all over Shiva's armour, the glassy look in his eyes as he'd struggled to remain conscious. It had been so painfully obvious that Grimnir was at his limit. Yet, if Grimnir hadn't held on, Shiva didn't want to think of what may have happened to the team.

Grimnir had paid the price for protecting them.

Shiva's attention snapped back to reality at the hint of movement in his arms, all four of them tightening around Grimnir as he stirred. A soft groan fell from his lips, and the evident pain colouring it made Shiva's core ache. "Shiva…?" Grimnir's voice was faint and breathless, protectiveness surging through Shiva's veins as he drew Grimnir closer.

"I am here." He slid one hand up to stroke through lilac hair, cradling Grimnir's head against his bare chest. Grimnir's breathing was worryingly unsteady, as if each breath was a struggle.

"Did we… i-is everyone…?" Grimnir's breath hitched, and Shiva held him close as sharp, painful coughs ripped themselves from his throat, his whole body trembling with the force of the fit. Already prepared for this, Shiva reached out an arm for the cloth he'd set by the bedside, tenderly wiping away the blood by Grimnir's pale lips.

When Grimnir's trembling had calmed a little, though his breaths were still strained and tight, Shiva answered, "We retreated. Everyone is safe, thanks to you." His voice was low, gentle. "You must rest now. You pushed yourself too hard — your core is damaged. It will take time to recover."

The worst was knowing that the damage had been self-inflicted, according to Fif. The results of Grimnir pushing his abilities beyond their limits. The blood, for instance: a consequence of the damage to his core. It would heal with time — a primal's ability to regenerate was impressive, a fact that Shiva well knew — but even the greatest healer in the skies didn't dare to meddle with a primal's core.

Grimnir was, for once, silent throughout the whole speech. It was both unnerving and worrying to think of how much pain he must be in that he was actually choosing not to speak. It was a long moment before he breathed out a shaky sigh, tension draining out of him as he sagged against Shiva. "O-okay."

He looked so fragile curled up in Shiva's arms. His skin was so pale it was almost translucent, save for the remains of blood on his lips. Worst of all was how quiet he was — so much quieter than Shiva had ever seen him. Grimnir was never supposed to be quiet. He was loud and obnoxious, shouted more than he spoke, cried at the slightest provocation… he was never _quiet_. Never still.

"How do you feel?" In the end, unable to stand the silence, Shiva broke it first. Grimnir responded slowly, a shudder of pain going through his frame as he gasped in another breath, pressing in closer.

"H-hurts…"

No long dramatisation or fancy words. The simple answer only deepened the ache in Shiva's core. Although he had already known the answer even before asking, hearing it spoken in Grimnir's trembling voice hammered it in further. "Where?" He didn't know if there was anything he could do, but he had to try.

" _Everywhere_ …" The whiny little note to his voice almost had Shiva smiling at the first snatch of familiarity in all that Grimnir had said. But in the next moment, the cut-off gasp that escaped Grimnir's lips dispersed any thoughts of mirth, the soft, pained whimper that followed immediately setting Shiva on edge. Grimnir was shaking in his arms, and Shiva both saw and felt his hand stealing up to his chest, trembling fingers digging into his skin. Already expecting it, Shiva held the cloth to Grimnir's lips just in time to catch the bout of harsh coughs, staining the cloth further with deep red. 

Even after it ended, the shallow, unsteady rhythm to Grimnir's breathing gave away the lingering pain. Keeping three arms around Grimnir, Shiva set the cloth aside before moving to cover the hand Grimnir clutched to his chest, beckoning him to relax his grip. Shiva finally managed to convince him to let go after a little coaxing, splaying his own hand over Grimnir's chest in replacement. "This is where it hurts?" Shiva phrased it like a question, but didn't wait for Grimnir's reply. With cautious, restrained pressure, wary of pushing too hard and causing further discomfort, Shiva massaged Grimnir's chest with the distant hope of easing at least a fraction of his pain.

It seemed to be working somewhat, but the reprieve only lasted scant seconds before Grimnir broke down into another spate of coughing. The stark pain in each cough was only further emphasised by how much blood there was this time, enough to soak through the folded cloth and stain Shiva's fingers. A trickle that Shiva hadn't caught traced a path down Grimnir's chin, and he barely wiped it away in time before it dripped onto the sheets. 

The fit seemed endless — Grimnir drew breath after shaky breath only to sink into uncontrollable coughs, until Shiva's hand was wet and tacky with his blood. By the time it finally died down, Grimnir was panting weakly, all the strength drained from his body as he slumped against Shiva. Ragged breaths were punctuated with the occasional few coughs, but they thankfully didn't worsen into full-on attacks.

Grimnir clung to him, struggling openly for air. Massaging his chest no longer seemed to help; he was as tense as ever, body drawn as tight as a taut nerve. "S-Shiva… it h-hurts so _m-much_ …" The broken sob that escaped from Grimnir was painfully fragile. The tears that had gathered at the corners of his eyes had overflowed, blurring the streak of blood on his cheek. "Make it s-stop… please, p-please, it _hurts_ — " Grimnir broke off into another harsh burst of coughs that left him trembling and weak, another sob slipping out. 

Shiva had never felt so helpless as he did now. All he could do was brush away Grimnir's tears as gently as he could, whisper baseless reassurances and press light kisses against Grimnir's clammy skin in the hopes of distracting him. The tears worried him in more ways than one — Grimnir seemed to be having enough trouble breathing without adding in congestion and hiccups. 

But the damage was already done. All Shiva could do now was watch him and comfort him as best as he could. 

There was barely any time for Shiva to soothe Grimnir before he was seized by another violent outburst of coughing, wet and choked with blood that left his mouth stained with bright red. It was only seconds before Shiva abandoned the cloth — it was too soaked to be useful anymore — in favour of using his sash as a substitute. He'd already wiped off the excess blood on it earlier, and he may as well use it to its fullest. The blood soaked through in seconds, its colour absorbed by the dark fabric.

Shiva hadn't expected Grimnir to notice, and yet as he was gasping for breath between fits, Shiva saw his eyes widen as he stared at the bloodied fabric. "Y-your clothes…" Struck by another coughing fit before he could finish his sentence, Grimnir reeled back, only saved from falling off the bed by the fact that Shiva had three arms wrapped around him. The reassurance on the tip of Shiva's tongue didn't make it out before Grimnir slammed a hand over his mouth, hunching into himself as he desperately muffled his coughs. 

"Grimnir!" Blood was already seeping through between Grimnir's fingers, stark red against his pale skin, and Shiva wiped it away without a second thought. It somehow hadn't occurred to him that Grimnir would try to avoid soiling his clothes, of all things, but he had no qualms whatsoever. He'd reassure Grimnir afterwards; first he needed to tide him over this episode.

Harsh coughs tapered off into wheezing breaths, and once Shiva was sure that he was finished, he carefully attempted to pull Grimnir's hand away from where it still muffled his mouth. Grimnir's grip proved rather weak, trembling fingers pried open with ease when Shiva drew his hand back to reveal a palmful of blood. His lips were smeared with red, and Shiva felt the unsteady gust of his breaths on his skin as he rubbed the blood away.

"D-don't…" Grimnir's breath caught in his throat before he could say whatever he meant to — Shiva braced himself, but to his relief, Grimnir's breathing eased up again after a few moments. Even so, his exhaustion was obvious in the way he slumped against Shiva, eyes shut. "S-sorry, I… m-made a mess…"

When Grimnir put it in those words, Shiva suddenly understood why it had bothered him so much. It was difficult for Shiva to keep up with the way Grimnir's mind worked — it was an eternal work in progress for him — but he had grasped enough to understand how Grimnir had gotten there. 

Shiva well knew that Grimnir never _intended_ to inconvenience anyone with all his antics. He was always distressed if he came to realise any consequences, and often tried to 'fix' them in his usual dramatic way… which rarely helped, but Shiva knew that he meant well, as he did with most things.

Grimnir's misguided train of thought had evidently decided that making a mess of Shiva's clothes was a consequence he needed to fix. In essence, all of this could have been avoided if Shiva had had the foresight to prepare an extra cloth or three to clean up the blood. Making a note of it for the future (although Shiva very much hoped that this ordeal would not be something they ever needed to repeat), he tilted Grimnir's chin up gently. Mismatched eyes widened as he leaned in, but Shiva swallowed Grimnir's protests with a kiss before he could voice them. Shiva deliberately ran his tongue over Grimnir's lips, tasting the sharp tang of blood, before he drew back to rest their foreheads together. 

"Blood does not bother me, Grimnir," he said, keeping his voice firm but gentle. "And even if it did, your blood would not. I care for you much more than I care for my clothes."

Grimnir stared at him for several long seconds, dazed and uncomprehending. Shiva waited, holding his gaze until understanding finally dawned in Grimnir's eyes. A tiny smile pulled at his bloodstained lips, some of the tension leaving him as he sank into Shiva's arms. "O-oh… okay."

Smiling despite himself, Shiva pressed another kiss to the top of Grimnir's head. While Grimnir's breathing still held a note of unease and tension that made it hard for him to relax, the worst still seemed to be over for the moment, at least. It looked as if coughing up all that blood was allowing Grimnir to breathe a little easier now. Once again resuming the motions of massaging his chest, Shiva asked, "How do you feel now?"

"A l-little better." Shiva could hear that Grimnir was trying to inject some cheer in his voice, but the effect was undone by the pained hitch in the sentence. "Doesn't… hurt as… as m-much." 

Despite what Grimnir said, it was clear that he was still in pain — his breaths were careful and measured, as if he was wary of setting it off. Still, if it was even a little better than before, that was something. "That is… awesome, I believe is the word for it." 

"Is it…? Oh, y-you mean the better part, r-right?" Shiva hummed in reply. Grimnir let out a soft sigh, eyes starting to close again. "Yeah… it's aw… g-good. But the co — ff… _ugh_." Grimnir made a frustrated little whine that could only be described as cute. "That r… that r-really sucked." 

It certainly hadn't been pleasant. Shiva hoped he would never have to see Grimnir in so much pain ever again. Grimnir went on mumbling, voice little more than a hoarse whisper, but Shiva was still relieved that he was feeling well enough to babble the way he usually did. "S'not… as bad as b-before you… came. T-that was the w-worst." His breath hitched again as he coughed weakly, but to Shiva's relief, the fit ended before it worsened into blood. Still, it took Grimnir a few moments to catch his breath afterwards, and a few more before he spoke again. "Sh-shields… they're s'posed t-to be _easy_ … but it h-hurt. Real… really b-bad. Never… hurt that w-way… before…"

Shiva ached just thinking of Grimnir's desperate last stand on the battlefield. Unable to release his true power without hurting his fallen comrades, lacking the heart to escape without them or leave them at the mercy of the beast — and so, instead, he chose to protect them even at the expense of hurting himself. "'Twas… r-really uncool…" Grimnir mumbled, voice fading by the end of the sentence. He was starting to nod off in Shiva's arms, eyes already closed. With a faint smile, Shiva pressed another kiss to Grimnir's forehead.

"I did not think so."

"H-huh…?" Grimnir's eyes fluttered open for a moment before his eyelids drooped again, leaving only a slight frown between his brow.

"I did not think you were uncool." Shiva sank a hand into his hair, stroking through the soft locks. "Faced with a hopeless situation, would most not choose to retreat or fend for themselves at the expense of others? You did not. You held strong. You protected everyone until aid arrived, even when your strength waned. It was very brave, and very cool."

"W-What? Really?!" There was no mistaking the unconcealed delight in Grimnir's voice, even through the slight edge of pain that still coloured it. Shiva smiled, drawing him close. 

"Yes. You were very cool."

Grimnir lit up at the words, and Shiva was sure he would be whooping and cheering if his voice had allowed for it. "Y-you thought I was cool! I… I…" Grimnir sniffled, cuddling close. "Y-you're, like, the c-coolest, y'know? I-I'm so happy! I d-don't even care i-if it hurts anym-more!"

Shiva felt warmth suffuse him at the open, direct words. They were so very much like Grimnir — like everything he loved of Grimnir. "Even so, you must take care of yourself," he couldn't help but say. "It pains me to see you hurt. If you have a choice between being cool and getting injured, or being uncool but staying safe, if there are no other lives in danger — "

"Aw, don't n-nag! I know… I-I'm not a kid…" That whiny voice was the one Shiva knew and loved. Blinking in surprise when he felt an arm latch around his neck, he barely had the time to register Grimnir's determined face before his head was yanked down with surprising strength, insistent lips covering his. Grimnir still tasted of blood, breaths still just a little unsteady, but it was clear that he was stubborn about proving how much he wasn't a child. Which only made him even more childish to Shiva, but also even more endearing.

Grimnir didn't protest when Shiva took over the lead, feeding breathy sighs into his mouth as Shiva gave him a thorough answer to reassure him that he very much did not think of Grimnir as a child. Childish, yes — but not a child. Grimnir's breathlessness was very much more pleasant to hear knowing that he was the reason behind it, but Shiva still reluctantly drew back. Even if Grimnir whined, he was in no condition to strain himself further. As it was, Shiva realised with a measure of guilt that he'd already gone a little too far.

Grimnir always did erode his self-control.

"Rest," Shiva said, leaving no room for argument in that single word. "You are not recovered yet. Once you have made a full recovery, we can… continue."

"Mm-hm." Surprisingly, Grimnir made no further protests. Perhaps he was more tired than he'd let on… regardless, at least he wasn't spending more energy on stubbornness. Settling against Shiva's chest, Grimnir's eyes closed. Shiva was sure he would be able to keep Grimnir warm, but he still spared a hand to pull the blankets up around them. Grimnir's breathing was starting to even out into a comfortingly steady rhythm; the worst was over. From here, Shiva felt certain that he could recover well.

"Shiva…"

The murmur was so soft that Shiva assumed Grimnir was just talking in his sleep. " _Shiva_ …" The second, whinier iteration drew his attention, and he sighed indulgently as he carded his hand through Grimnir's hair.

"I am here."

"Mmm." Grimnir smiled, snuggling in. "Love you," he whispered. "M-more than clothes too."

The sweet jolt that went through Shiva at the sincere confession was almost undone by what followed. It took him several moments before he parsed that Grimnir was _very_ belatedly answering what he had said earlier — _I care for you much more than I care for my clothes_. Shiva had said it to make a point, but it was so very like Grimnir to take it at face value.

Smiling, Shiva pressed a kiss to his lover's forehead. "I love you as well. Very much more than clothes."

Grimnir didn't stir. Shiva was sure he hadn't heard the answer; the soft snores gave him away, all his tension finally draining away in sleep, leaving him a boneless puddle in Shiva's arms. It didn't look as if he would wake anytime soon, all for the better. The more he rested, the sooner he would mend.

Shiva would say it again, as many times as he needed, when Grimnir was awake. 


End file.
